I asked one of my staff members to ride with me to Downtown Brooklyn to pickup a Mother's day gift for my mom and he decided to wear our new Number One Studio tee. Hype that he had on the Tee, I grabbed my camera and we got a little cutty on our way to pickup the gifts.Now I personally dislike commercials and I never want you to feel like im trying to sell you something. The only thing I ever want to promote is being alive and buying our shirt doesn't give you life. The only thing buying our shirt does is make you a studio staff member. So you can continue to confidently remind your peers to, "Dont Talk About It, Be About It"

Buy the Number One Studio Tee over at the SHOPSubscribe to Stay Alive Studio on YoutubeStay Alive!

My top (3) MTB cycling shoes in 2018 are the Giro VR90's, Mavic's Fury & the Sidi Dragon II's solely because of their design and not because of popularity. I mostly ride a Track bike and a Cyclocross bike when commuting around the city and I love the feeling of being locked onto my bike. A good number of my homies ride with Hold Fast straps, Toe cages + straps or no foot retention at all. Ive tried all three over the past couple years and I always find myself going right back to MTB shoes + Time Atac pedals.

First up, I’ve always loved the Mavic Fury's because of the aggressive design but I never liked how the Men's shoe only came in all Yellow or all black. My 2nd favorite are the Sidi Dragon II's because of the ferocious look, easy and comfortable fastener cables & most importantly, interchangeable sole plates. Owning a shoe where you can replace the sole with brand new inserts and bring the shoe back to life is so damn important. Making the Sidi Dragon possibly be the best Cycling shoe in existence! My only drawback from the shoe is the price. Who in their right mind is spending $400 on a pair of cycling shoes? Damn. Lastly, the Giro VR90's are my 3rd favorite because of how simple and beautiful they are. They almost look like regular everyday sneakers on your feet when you wear your favorite jeans matched with a Flight Jacket. The laces are the best touch for a cycling shoe making the VR90's one of a kind.

I decided to illustrate the (3) shoes instead of taking photographs because the pairs I have in my closet are destroyed from years of abusive riding around the world. Also, drawing makes me happy :)

Over a year ago, I designed and launched 2 logo tee projects but came across many complications in the production process. From formatting the designs incorrectly all the way to receiving the incorrect finished product from the screen printers. It has been a very annoying journey but I wouldn't change a thing simply because of all the amazing things I've learned.

After several months of fine-tuning everything and redesigning the way I design my product all the way to receiving my product, I am proud to say that I will be re-launching all of my studios early Logo Tee's in limited batches. Every individual who ordered a tee and did not receive it by now, I apologize to you and I promise that I haven't forgotten about you. When the new batch of what you ordered arrives, I will be shipping your tee's out with extra goodies just for keeping you waiting so long.

Thank you for your patience and working with me and my creative process.These old designs of mines + new ones are in the works for all you enthusiast's this year.

I recently picked up 44 issues of 90's & 2000's Playboy Magazines from a homie who needed help moving into a new apartment. His girlfriend told him that he needed to get rid of the collection to make space for the new crib so he brought out this heavy ass bag to show me the stash. He came across the collection in the early 2000's working alongside his mom in a photo studio. The studio had an inspiration library and the Playboy Magazines caught his interest when he was of age to know what they were about. Somehow he was able to walk out with the entire stash and he kept them in a bag at his crib for years to come. When he broke them out and showed them to me, the first thing i thought was "The history inside these magazines must be amazing". The kind of history that possibly doesn't exist on the internet. So i gave homie $50 for his collection and carried the heavy ass bag to my house which was luckily in the same neighborhood because that sh*t was heavy!

I spent the past couple days skimming thru the magazines and what i've found is priceless.- Original adult themed artwork from illustrators from the 90's & early 2000's.- Vintage technology ad's from companies like Sony promoting new technology at the time. Shit like Camcorders, Cd's & Nintendo 64's. The kind of equipment we could care less about in 2018.- Vintage Tobacco/Smoking advertisements before people knew cigarettes could kill them. (1971 Tobacco/Smoking ad's was banned for TV & Radio. But ad's continued to run in Newspapers, Magazines, Billboards & Transit.)- Hanging with Hef posters. (Photos of athletes, models & actors hanging with Hugh Hefner years before they became the famous people they are today.)- Some of the coolest Logos and Graphic Design influences.

After my Research & Development is complete, maybe I'll make a zine out of it or a poster or a small archive exhibition. The sky is the limit.

What kind of photographer do you consider yourself? I don't really know how to label myself as a photographer because it's always changing. Throughout my photographic career I've worn so many different hats but I guess as an overarching title I'd label myself as a photojournalist. My true passion lies in telling a narrative with my images. I think it's pretty easy to create a "pretty picture" but to create something that evokes feelings and emotions is a task that is less easily attained.

What Equipment did you shoot with at RHC10? I shot the race this year mostly on a Canon 1DX and a combination of both the 24-70 and 70-200 lenses. I brought a bunch of other gear but never really took it out of the bag.

What were you specifically looking to photograph? I don't think that I went into the race with any expectations of what I wanted to shoot as it was only my second time at the event. In being fairly new to cycling I'm taking these first few appearances as a bit of a research project where I can assess the scene and figure out where I think I belong and what I can bring to the table. I think too often we act as lemmings following one another's examples but realized that in doing so we often walk away with images that are less than fulfilling. I'm thankful that the race is as successful as it has become so I know I'll have a chance next time to document whatever i feel like i missed.

How many photos did you shoot in total?Usually at an event like this I go a bit overboard and shoot way more photos than necessary but I was tied up with shooting the running race so I didn't pump out nearly as many images of the cycling as I would have liked.

How many times have you shot at a Red Hook event? This was my second time shooting at the crit.

What was your favorite moment of the race day to shoot and why? My favorite moment was watching Colleen Gulick take the W in the women's field; we ride for the same team so to see your fellow rider represent like that is an incredible feeling.

What kind of photographer do you consider yourself? Street, Documentary.

What Equipment did you shoot with at RHC10? Same as always... Leica M2/Zeiss Biogon 28 f/2.8. Tri-X.

What were you specifically looking to photograph? I always shoot whatever catches my eye. Subjects that captivate me, interest me, or just plain weird me out. I photographed a lot of the spectators hanging out in the sun as well as the homies.

How many photos did you shoot in total? A few rolls. 3 or 4.

How many times have you shot at a Red Hook event?More than I can remember off the top of my head.

What was your favorite moment of the race day to shoot and why? I really enjoyed photographing the lively flow of race spectators- specifically between the last chance race and sunset. Their was a wonderful mix of people, many of which were not cyclists. Everyone was out enjoying the absolutely beautiful day in red hook by the water.

What kind of photographer do you consider yourself? I use to be a wedding photographer but I didn't like it. It was not what I wanted to do. I wanted to shoot photos of subjects that gave me the chance to be more creative. Subjects that had more substance.

What equipment did you use to shoot RHC10? I shot with a Nikon D300s. During the day i used an 80-200mm 2.8 lens and as the day went by I changed to my 85mm 1.8 to get close up shots of the racers and toward the night I switched to my 24-70mm lens so I had a wider angle during the race.

How many shots did you take?I took about 2600 shots but most of them weren't any good because i wasn't using a flash and had trouble getting things in focus.

How many times did you shoot RHC?This would be my second time shooting the race. I remember the first time I photographed this race I only had a point and shoot Sony RX100!

What was your favorite moment of the race?My favorite part was seeing old faces and making new friends.

During this years RHC I decided to take a look beside me and photograph some of the homies that work hard capturing the red hook crit experience. Some say that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the messengers that competed in the past. Well i believe that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the amazing photographers that have the talent to capture all of red hook crit's special moments with the entire world.

I talked to my Perth, Australian homie about his experience photographing the 10th Edition of the Red Hook Criterium series. Check out what he has to say below and make sure to check out his take of the race on instagram & his .com.

What kind of photographer do you consider yourself? I would call myself a portrait photographer first, but really I just love shooting with people, especially when they're doing or making things. I try my best to bring a candid humane feel to my commercial work. I also have this running theme with people's hands. Before cycling I spent a long time shooting with bands and working in the music industry documenting tours and shooting live. As well as putting together record artwork packaging, and that feeds into how I shoot these sorts of things now, moving forwards into more fashion and lifestyle/culture work.

What Equipment did you shoot with at RHC10? Canon 5D MKII with the 24-70mm f2.8L II. I almost didn't bring that kit all the way with me, and was planning to just shoot with my travel camera, a Fuji X-T1 with a couple of the primes because it's less to fly with when I travel across the world with my bike. I wouldn't have been able to cover everything as well without the battery capacity of the battery grip. (Fuji you gotta get onto them battery grips!). I brought a 600EX and the trigger with me, but I found I didn't really feel like I wanted to shoot anything other than whatever ambient light was around, just to make sure the photos felt and looked exactly as the moment did. Loving the work by those with the strobes though!

What were you specifically looking to photograph? I came out from Australia on my own, so I wasn't working for a team or publication, and I didn't really have any commitments throughout the day, so I initially wanted to shoot a lot of candid portraits of the people racing. But as the day progressed, I was way more interested in what the people around the race were doing. How the photographers were all working differently with their different styles and clients. How people were enjoying themselves. So while I did end up shooting the racing, all my favorite images of the day are from around the race, not of the race. The photographers are working just as hard as the athletes, and put just as many hours into their craft, so they deserve just as much coverage! Besides, secretly I think we all like photos of ourselves working.

How many photos did you shoot in total?2383, on the dot. I'd estimate at least 95% of that is getting dizzy panning on corners and hoping for the best. I try my best to shoot portraits like I do on film; think first, look, grab a couple of shots, move on. Keep it easy.

How many times have you shot at a Red Hook event? This was my first Red Hook! It's a long way from Perth, but hopefully I'll be in Barcelona in September, and I'll definitely be back here in Brooklyn next year. It was such a great experience, I'm glad I finally made it out.

What was your favorite moment of the race day to shoot and why? Right at sunset, out the back of the VIP area near the food trucks, the light was absolutely incredible, with all these puddles from the rain reflecting the light around. Myself and a friend (@sansomountain, be about it!) were so moved by it, we were desperately grabbing anyone we knew as they walked past so we could shoot them doing track stands or anything we could come up with. Truly nerding out over the light and it had nothing to do with the race. I will say though, having press pass access to the starting grid was incredible too.

During this years RHC I decided to take a look beside me and photograph some of the homies that work hard capturing the red hook crit experience. Some say that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the messengers that competed in the past. Well i believe that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the amazing photographers that have the talent to capture all of red hook crit's special moments with the entire world.

I asked Mexico City/New York City native, JC Ramirez 6 Questions about his experience photographing the 10th Edition of the Red Hook Criterium series. Check out what he has to say below and make sure to check out his take of the race on instagram & .com.

During this years RHC I decided to take a look beside me and photograph some of the homies that work hard capturing the red hook crit experience. Some say that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the messengers that competed in the past. Well i believe that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the amazing photographers that have the talent to capture all of red hook crit's special moments with the entire world.

I asked Chicago native, Phillip 6 Questions about his experience photographing the 10th Edition of the Red Hook Criterium series. Check out what he has to say below and make sure to check out his take of the race on instagram & his .com.

What kind of photographer do you consider yourself? Sports photography

What Equipment did you shoot with at RHC10? Canon 7D. During the day i used a 18-300 f3.5 and at night a 18-35 f1.8.

What were you specifically looking to photograph? I look to capture the last hundred hours of training. In racing or anything that requires performance, Discipline must be laid down first. When they go diving into a turn, you can see how much discipline, strength, and preparation was put in before hand. With everything going, flexing, and pushing, the athlete falls into "the zone" and that's what I want to capture.

How many photos did you shoot in total? About 8000. I pull the trigger hard in the corners and at night. I'll do burst of 50 or so. I'm usually looking to get something specific, but I don't want to miss anything I might get by chance.

How many times have you shot at a Red Hook event? 3x in Brooklyn and once in Milan.

What was your favorite moment of the race day to shoot and why? The finish line of the finals. I had missed it the first time out and kicked myself for not being prepared for it. There is nothing like freezing the moment of victory. There are so many emotions at the end of a race. The right photo at the right time can say it all.

During this years RHC I decided to take a look beside me and photograph some of the homies that work hard capturing the red hook crit experience. Some say that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the messengers that competed in the past. Well i believe that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the amazing photographers that have the talent to capture all of red hook crit's special moments with the entire world.

I asked Brooklyn native, Fred Kim 6 Questions about his experience photographing the 10th Edition of the Red Hook Criterium series. Check out what he has to say below and make sure to check out his take of the race on instagram & .com.

IG: @fredkimfredkimfredkim and his website,fkfkfk.com and make sure to checkout his Vimeo.

Enjoy!

Fred Kim - Photo: Cordell Murray

What kind of photographer do you consider yourself? I am a Videographer/VFX Artist

What Equipment did you shoot with at RHC10? Canon 5D MKIII & Tamron 24-70 f2.8

What were you specifically looking to photograph? Mostly all of my friends that ran the 5K.

How many photos did you shoot in total? I only took 262 photos because i had to leave early :(

How many times have you shot at a Red Hook event? 3 times

What was your favorite moment of the race day to shoot and why? I like the moments before and after the race.

During this years RHC I decided to take a look beside me and photograph some of the homies that work hard capturing the red hook crit experience. Some say that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the messengers that competed in the past. Well i believe that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the amazing photographers that have the talent to capture all of red hook crit's special moments with the entire world.

I asked Compton, Los Angeles homie, Julio Bustamante 6 Questions about his experience photographing the 10th Edition of the Red Hook Criterium series. Check out what he has to say below and make sure to check out his take of the race on instagram & his .com.

What were you specifically looking to photograph? Teams that flew out from the West Coast to compete like State Bike Co, The Heavy Pedal, Throne & Leader FHTN.

How many photos did you shoot in total? Just under 2k

How many times have you shot at a Red Hook event? Just the NYC one.

What was your favorite moment of the race day to shoot and why? I was in love with the idea of shooting at night for the main race. Popping flash and dragging the shutter really gives you a sense of how fast the women and men can go.

During this years RHC I decided to take a look beside me and photograph some of the homies that work hard capturing the red hook crit experience. Some say that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the messengers that competed in the past. Well i believe that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the amazing photographers that have the talent to capture all of red hook crit's special moments with the entire world.

I asked United Kingdom native, Kamal Balgobin 6 Questions about his experience photographing the 10th Edition of the Red Hook Criterium series. Check out what he has to say below and make sure to check out his take of the race on instagram & his .com.

IG: @kamalrb and his website,KamalRB.com & Facebook where you can see his current projects and keep in touch for future projects.

Enjoy!

Kamal Balgobin - Photo: Cordell Murray

What kind of photographer do you consider yourself? I’d have to classify myself as an extremely amateur photographer at this point because I am very new to the game and only have around a years experience under my belt so far.

What Equipment did you shoot with at RHC10? Canon 7D MKII, 24-105mm F/4 and a 50mm F/1.4.

What were you specifically looking to photograph? At Brooklyn this year I was looking to cover some of the racing itself, experiment with low light conditions without a flash during the finals which was a nice learning process. I was also looking to practice shooting portraits with my 50mm for a future project i have in the works.

How many photos did you shoot in total? I’ve already started filtering through them at the time of this interview so I don’t have exact numbers anymore but I’d guess I started with around 4000, most of which probably won’t see the light of day.

How many times have you shot at a Red Hook event? I shot at Barcelona and Milan last year, I also attempted to qualify at these events too so i picked up the camera during the events just to familiarize with seeing the race from a different perspective.

What was your favorite moment of the race day to shoot and why? My favorite moments on race day was shooting portraits and interacting with people when they’re not on the course. In Barcelona and Milan I realized how easy it was to just photograph qualifying and end up with a lot of uninteresting and very repetitive content which is something I hope is a habit I don’t develop this season.

-P.S. Shout out to Cordell at Stay Alive Studio for always showing love, support and positivity every time we meet.

During this years RHC I decided to take a look beside me and photograph some of the homies that work hard capturing the red hook crit experience. Some say that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the messengers that competed in the past. Well i believe that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the amazing photographers that have the talent to capture all of red hook crit's special moments with the entire world.

I asked Brooklyn native, Kenji Edmonds 6 Questions about his experience photographing the 10th Edition of the Red Hook Criterium series. Check out what he has to say below and make sure to check out his take of the race on instagram & .com.

IG: @nyckenji and his website,RoleyPoley.com Also his race team: @roleypoleyracing

Enjoy!

Kenji & Akira - Photo: Cordell Murray

What kind of photographer do you consider yourself? I am a video producer and editor by trade. I used to shoot film back in the day (yeah, i’m #oldaf as the kids say these days). I kind of gave up on photography when i started my video production company because i was too busy producing, traveling & supporting my family. But ever since my kids started cycling & racing, I found my interest in cycling photography again. It’s difficult to categorize what type of photographer i consider myself to be. My goal with my photos is to bring the audience into the race itself so that they feel like they’re right there in the break, or in the peloton, or with the person who is DFL, feeling their pain. It’s a real struggle to capture that moment, especially when your subject is flying by you at 30 mph. I shoot as many races & rides as i can so i can figure out the best techniques, equipment, angles, timing needed to capture those moments.

What kind of equipment did you shoot with at RHC10?This year i shot with two Canon 5D MK IV’s. One 5D had a 70-200m 2.8 on it all day and my other 5D swapped out an 85mm 1.2, 50mm 1.2 and a 50mm 1.4. The 1.4 is a lot lighter than the 1.2 lenses so i used that during the day and then switched to the L-series primes at night since they’re a bit faster. I also came prepared with a Canon 80D with an IKAN EC-1 Gimbal to shoot some video but i never got to break it out the bag….

What were you specifically looking to photograph? At most events i try to cover my friends and hometown heroes first and foremost. I’m so impressed and in awe at anyone who has the guts to race RHC so i feel the least i can do is help document their efforts.

How many photos did you shoot in total?4,652… But a lot of them are hit or miss panning shots at super slow shutter speeds and manual focus so the actual number of usable shots are quite less.

How many times have you shot at a Red Hook event? This is my third year shooting RHC. I have only shot the Brooklyn event so far, but I’m considering going to Barcelona this year if i can pull it together.

What was your favorite moment of the race day to shoot and why? Without question my favorite moment was when four of the Roley Poley Racing Team Women lined up for their heat. This was our first year sponsoring a team and as much we had talked about and anticipated RHC, it was a bit emotional seeing them all at the line ready to go. They have come a long way in a very short amount of time and i respect their courage and bravery. It really takes a lot to step up to that starting line. I also enjoyed seeing & shooting Cooper Ray while he led out a lap during the qualifying heat. It was pretty friggin’ awesome. That dude never ceases to surprise me - So much talent and heart.

During this years RHC I decided to take a look beside me and photograph some of the homies that work hard capturing the red hook crit experience. Some say that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the messengers that competed in the past. Well i believe that the race wouldn't be what it is today without the amazing photographers that have the talent to capture all of red hook crit's special moments with the entire world.

I asked New York native, Melissa Holtz 6 Questions about her experience photographing the 10th Edition of the Red Hook Criterium series. Check out what she has to say below and make sure to check out her take of the race on instagram & .com